Went to Alligator Lake twice last week, Wednesday and Saturday, and did ok. Wednesday was going to be a tournament but it was canceled for weather but I went anyway and got 4 before the wind got up too much. All were caught on a Gambler burner worm in Black and Blue, 2 in Alligator and 1 each in Trout and Coon all were 1.60 to 2.02lbs. Went back on Saturday morning and got 6 with most 1.75lbs and above. 2.29lbs was the first and biggest of the day and they were all caught on a Yamamoto Speed Senko in Gooseberry laminate.

This past weekend has been a tad bit windy here in the New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach area, making fishing a little difficult at times. The water clarity is still great throughout the Mosquito Lagoon which has been making for some great sight fishing on the clear skies kinda days. Shrimp, mullet and cut bait have been working well along with soft plastics and spoons. It looks as though mother nature has not gave up fully on winter yet as we have another small front visiting us which will drop the air temps for a few days. I believe the bite will continue to be good after this front passes heading into next week .

This past week was extremely productive, and I expect the strong bite to continue this week. Early in the week, I found larger schools of mullet, which is typically what I look for when fishing for snook. However, by Sunday, the mullet had thinned out, and I had to rely on power fishing along the mangroves to stay busy.

The snook loved the 4″ paddle tails, while the trout couldn’t resist the 5” jerk shad rigged weedless.

Looking back, the first half of the week was just as exciting. The snook bite along the mangroves and on the flats has really been heating up. I’ve observed them feeding on finger mullet and what appears to be greenbacks, so if using artificial lures, try to mimic those size baits. The 4” paddle tails and 5″ jerk shad have been doing the trick for me.

Additionally, the topwater bite has been good early in the morning for snook, trout, jacks, ladyfish, and the occasional red.

Yesterday’s sunrise trip yielded a nice snook caught just off a shallow, windblown point using a 4″ Diezel MinnowZ on a 1/8 oz jig. The 5″ jerk shad rigged weedless also produced well on the flats, catching trout.

Notably, I’m starting to see more fish in my traditional spring spots, indicating a potential shift in behavior. Keep this in mind when planning your next trip.

Good fishing along the space coast. I’ll keep this one short and simple. Get your bait and hit the beach. Find that clean water and some good lead to hold bottom. Fish sunrise and sunset bites and try to hit your tide windows at the start and ends of the tide. Good luck and happy fishing to all!

Armando caught this 27 3/4-inch snook and a 26-inch spotted seatrout at the south jetty. He used live shrimp on the incoming tide.

Hello there, Sebastian Inlet fishing junkies. I hope everyone had a great weekend! Here we go with the first report for March:

Fishing on Friday and Saturday was pretty good, but the activity dropped off Sunday when the NNE winds picked up. The water was clean, but still a bit cool at 69; that was good for Friday and Saturday. On the north side west of the bridge I saw plenty of very nice sheepshead being caught, in the two to three-pound range, and plenty just over the minimum. Live sandfleas were the bait of choice. In that same area there was a decent snook bite on live shrimp as well, the first of the outgoing tide. Many small snook, but I did see a couple of slots taken. And remember, folks, under the bridge there is a fence blocking access to the east side of the bridge marked with a NO TRESPASSING sign, as that area is a designated construction area. Please be mindful of that. Thanks.

In the back, north side also, anglers were catching smaller snook on the incoming tide with live shrimp. A few black drum and sheepshead were caught as well. That’s pretty much if for the north side. Also, on the north side where the beach joins the jetty, that area of the north jetty is also labeled, ‘NO PRESSPASSING, STATE PARK BOUNDRIES.’ Do not climb through the area under the jetty to fish on the other side, it is designated as a construction area and is off limits as well.

South jetty, from the tip and along the seawall: Over here last week the snook bite has been really good from Wednesday through Saturday, and tapering off on Sunday while I was there. I am glad to see the snook wanting to play! Everyone using live shrimp pretty much caught some. Granted 90 percent were undersized, but I saw many slot fish caught. Live shrimp, thumper jigs did the trick! The incoming tide was the time to be there.

On Sunday, for whatever reason, the bite for snook just went away — very slow, but a few were caught early morning. In the afternoon while I was there, a huge school of croakers moved in and came up the beach, birds diving in them nonstop, and the bigger snook were around as well to feed on them. The snook action wasn’t hot by any means, but I did see several nice upper slot fish caught. It got crowded and many fish were hooked and lost. Also fishing along the rocks on the inlet side on Saturday they caught plenty of black drum, snook, big sheepshead, some whiting and pompano. Use live baits, either shrimp or sandfleas. At the tip of the jetty on the outgoing tide it was all about the black margates, small jack crevalle, blue runners and hand sized sand perch. Cut shrimp was the bait for them.

The T-Dock area has been slow. I did hear about a few snook caught, mostly small, with a couple of keepers, live mojarra and shrimp. Sunday when I was back there, they were catching quite a few croakers and whiting at the end of the incoming tide. Use cut shrimp.

That’s all I have for this report. Expect high winds and rough seas Tuesday through Thursday. If you do get out to fish, it might be roughed up a bit. Have a great week, everyone.

My good friend Jeff Saunders caught his first double digit (10lb 4oz) fish with me this past Friday. It was memorable for both of us and it couldn’t have happened to a better guy!

The water temp is 67 degrees when we started this morning and 68 when we finished up. The S canal has a blockage south of the north lake opening.

Top baits this week for me were the Bass Assassin RSB worms, and the Mike Bucca Bull Shad 6″ Trick Shad in Gizzard Shad color.

I’m fishing the Green Pumpkin Jackhammers on flats with scattered hydrilla in 5′ or less. I only use a 1/2oz with a Zako trailer to match. Most of my good fish are coming in stained water

The 6″ Mike Bucca Trick Shad in Gizzard Shad color is my go to swimbait this week. I’m fishing these along grass edges near deep sharp drops or cuts near main canals. I caught some good fish on the flats where the hydrilla was more scattered. It is a fish catcher and it will work all over Headwaters. Swim these just under the surface for best results. Get on the Bullshad email mailing list so you can get the bait drop info.

I’m fishing the Bass Assassin RSB worms (Gooseberry) with a 1/8oz weight. The fish are in the hydrilla near spawning flats. I’m using a 5/0 VMC Redline EWG hook. Swimming the worm along the bottom has worked the best for me the past couple weeks.

Call or text me at 304-610-6066 to book a trip of a lifetime. I have some outstanding guides that work for me that have availability as well.

Tight lines!

Shark fishing has been on fire for the last week and a half or so. Using cut bait out in front of the pier has been working just fine. Kingfish are starting to trickle in again on the reefs. Catching live bunker has been hit or miss but minnows seem to get the job done with a duster on it. Bottom fishing for triggerfish and snapper have been really good for Captain and Joe this week.

Finally a break from the cold and some incredible fishing! This winter has been a chilly one but thankfully we have started to see a pretty good warm up and the fishing is heating up as well!

My favorite thing to target this time of year in particular is triple-tail, these fish can be found along the beach and intercostal along the entire coast, tripletail are a highly migratory fish that have been around for ages and are found further south than the Florida keys and all the way up into the carolinas. These prehistoric looking fish are some of the hardest fighting, and best eating fish that swim (despite their odd appearance).

Anglers can find these fish in many different scenarios from free swimming edges and weed lines offshore and along the beach, to fishing man made structures such as buoys and crab traps. It’s not uncommon to see them laying on their side just waiting for prey just as small baitfish, shrimp, and other small organisms. Anglers often mistake them for trash or debris but when approached cautiously and not run over these fish can be targeted using a large handpick shrimp, finger mullet, or any other small baitfish you might can get your hands on. Generally, they aren’t too picky, however, some circumstances can definitely be frustrating where they just flat out don’t wanna eat.

It’s important when seeing tripletail you make a well placed cast, just like an other fish. Toss your bait of choice out beyond them and reel your bait in until it’s within a foot or so of their face; they often don’t like to chase, so the closer the better without just down right smacking them on the head. Some anglers will even use a cork as most of the time these fish don’t like to hang on the bottom and prefer from on the surface to 10-15 feet deep. My favorite rig is a large free line handpicked shrimp on 30/50 lb leader and a 4/0 hook depending on the scenario and in some cases a soft plastic jig or even a fly works great, too.

The window for these fish is typically short but when they are here they make great fun. The next few months we should see some exciting fishing especially as spring quickly approaches!

Headwaters, Stickmarsh and 3 forks are lit up! Water warming again. Fish are on beds moving in and out of spawn flats. Top water good fluke and worm bite very good. Some afternoon sessions have been better than early mornings.

Make time to go. It’s on!

As we approach March it seems as though the weather is starting to figure out that we are coming up on Spring. The extended forecast for the up coming week looks good to be put on the water. The fish have been chewing well, even after this little front that has just passed. The backwaters of New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach have been holding great numbers of redfish, trout and snook. The water clarity throughout Mosquito Lagoon has been at a ten making for some great sight fishing over the shallow grass flats. They have been receptive to several different baits like shrimp, mullet, cut bait along with artificials. Spring is approaching and if it stays on track it should be a good one!

Although I only managed to get out on the water twice this week, both trips were productive, yielding a good number of snook and trout, as well as a few jacks and smaller reds.

One notable observation was the drop in water temperature, which was down about 5 degrees from last week. Despite this change, there’s still an abundance of bait in the area, and species like snook, trout, reds, and jacks are actively feeding on them.

Interestingly, I’ve seen a wide range of bait sizes being targeted, from shrimp and glass minnows to larger mullet. In terms of lures, both 3″ and 5″ paddle tails worked equally well, and the topwater bite has been consistently good over the past couple of weeks.

Overall, it’s been an encouraging couple of trips, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the fishing continues to evolve in the coming weeks.